August 26, Detroit Examiner: Jason Williams set a career high with seven powerplay goals in 2008-09 and tied his career high in games played (80) and game-winning goals (4), despite being traded from Atlanta to Columbus at the mid-point of the season. At the time of the trade Williams was mired in a slump with just one point in his last eight games with Atlanta, however that changed quickly in Columbus as he scored four points in his first four games with the Blue Jackets. Playing fewer minutes per game with Columbus, Williams was far more effective scoring 29 points in 39 games with the blue Jackets after scoring just 18 points in 41 games with the Thrashers. Williams was far more consistent in Columbus as well never going more than two games without a point.

Williams is a known player to the Red Wings organization who originally signed him out of junior hockey in 2000. He has also played for coach Mike Babcock for two seasons while in the AHL. Williams was also a member of the Red Wings 2002 Stanley Cup team. So the transition back to Detroit should be an easy one, the team knows what they are getting, and Williams knows the coach, his philosophy and game plan, and he is familiar with the expectations of the organization and the fans. The Red Wings signed Williams to fill the void left by Mikael Samuelsson who signed with Vancouver. Both players scored 19 goals last season and seven on the powerplay, and Williams has played the point on the second powerplay unit previously, just as Samuelsson did for Detroit. One area that Williams will be asked to improve will be his defensive play. Williams has an accurate wrist shot as his career 12.4% shooting accuracy will attest, and combined with Patrick Eaves and Ville Leino on the Red Wings third line, he will be the primary shooter. Eaves will be the defensive conscious and Leino, a capable scorer, will be able to showcase his playmaker skills in this trio.

Williams spoke to the Detroit News's Dana Wakiji about the familiarity factor on Friday:

August 28, Detroit News: "I just thought it was a good fit with Detroit," Williams said. "I'm familiar with the area and the team. I had some conversations with some ex-teammates and with my dad, too. He's kind of been sick the last little bit and me being closer to him [in London], it won't be such a far drive. He can drive a couple hours and spend the weekend with me."

Williams declined to say what his father's illness is, but said, "Everything's going good now. He's feeling a lot better. Everything's coming back from the doctor's positive."

Williams' most positive season came in 2005-06 with the Red Wings when he had a career-best 21 goals and 37 assists in 80 games. He spent most of the year on a line with Steve Yzerman and Robert Lang. But he said his time away from the Red Wings helped him grow as a player.

"I've become a better all-around player the past couple years," Williams said. "I've been through some injuries, I've been on some teams that weren't as good as the Wings. If you didn't play strong defense every single night, you weren't going to win the game. So I've worked on my defensive game and I can still provide some offense."

As for playing for Babcock?

"I know what type of style he wants the team to play," Williams said. "I think having played for him before in Cincinnati (American Hockey League) and Detroit helps me come in and get started quick. They play a puck-possession style which matches my style of game, too."

The the whole "winning" thing made the Wings attractive, too:

"I hope to provide the type of energy and help get back in Stanley Cup contention again," Williams said. "When you talk about the top four teams in the offseason, Detroit is always there. That's something else that helped make my decision."